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WIDE Angle lenses

Hi I been looking for ages for a wide angle lens and find the process bewildering .
I have narrowed my search down to
Sigma 10mm0-20mm f3.5
Sigma 10mm-20mm f4.5
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8
or a nikon 10mm 2.8
I use a Nikon D3000
Does anyone actually use the zoom on these lens or do you stick on the minimum focal length
Thanks paul

Hi I been looking for ages for a wide angle lens and find the process bewildering .

Hi Paul,
All the above lenses are good in their own right, the only one I can comment on due to experience with it is the Sigma 10-20 (f/4.5) (used on a Canon 450d). I did use the zoom function of it quite often as at 10mm the distortion was quite noticable (can be used to good effect with experience). Image quality is very good and sharp throughout.
Suppose it all depends on your budget I think the above is the cheapest of your selection, but if you have cash to splash and don't mind walking about to frame your shot then prime lens are superior, but I would probably look at something longer than the 10mm.
Hope this helps a little.
Ian.

Hi Paul,

All the above lenses are good in their own right, the only one I can comment on due to experience with it is the Sigma 10-20 (f/4.5) (used on a Canon 450d). I did use the zoom function of it quite often as at 10mm the distortion was quite noticable (can be used to good effect with experience). Image quality is very good and sharp throughout.

Suppose it all depends on your budget I think the above is the cheapest of your selection, but if you have cash to splash and don't mind walking about to frame your shot then prime lens are superior, but I would probably look at something longer than the 10mm.

Hi Paul.
I use the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6DC EX HSM on a Nikon D300 and find it a great combination.
It's a solid lens - built like a tank.
I find that it will vignette a little at 10mm with a Lee w/a holder, but this is gone by about 11-12mm and it doesn't significantly compromise my compsoitions. It generally the widest affordable zoom that I could find - I think I picked mine up for around £360 three years ago.
I will frequently make use of the zoom function and will quite often shoot at the long end.
It will distort somewhat at it's widest which is particularly noticeable with verticals at the edges of the frame if one moves away from completely horizontal setups, but that can be corrected to a large degree with a bit of careful post processing work.
I have also found it sharp enough for me at present, at the size I would generally print at. I've had some images printed at around 36" wide and the quality is pretty - very good. Perhaps not as sharp as the Nikkor 14-24, but it's about a quarter of the price! :)
Can't comment on your other options as I haven't used them, but I wouldn't be without my Sigma. It's often the first lens I reach for with any landscape shoot. If you really need f/2.8, I've heard that the Tokina is a good choice, but probably much more expensive.
HTH.
Bill

Hi Paul.

I use the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6DC EX HSM on a Nikon D300 and find it a great combination.
It's a solid lens - built like a tank.
I find that it will vignette a little at 10mm with a Lee w/a holder, but this is gone by about 11-12mm and it doesn't significantly compromise my compsoitions. It generally the widest affordable zoom that I could find - I think I picked mine up for around £360 three years ago.
I will frequently make use of the zoom function and will quite often shoot at the long end.
It will distort somewhat at it's widest which is particularly noticeable with verticals at the edges of the frame if one moves away from completely horizontal setups, but that can be corrected to a large degree with a bit of careful post processing work.
I have also found it sharp enough for me at present, at the size I would generally print at. I've had some images printed at around 36" wide and the quality is pretty - very good. Perhaps not as sharp as the Nikkor 14-24, but it's about a quarter of the price!

Can't comment on your other options as I haven't used them, but I wouldn't be without my Sigma. It's often the first lens I reach for with any landscape shoot. If you really need f/2.8, I've heard that the Tokina is a good choice, but probably much more expensive.

Another vote for the Sigma (f4.5) version, especially if used for landscapes, as there's no need for the faster version. If you do interiors or the like handheld, than the extra stop might be handy. I've been very happy with mine, and as Bill says, it's the default choice.
:)

Another vote for the Sigma (f4.5) version, especially if used for landscapes, as there's no need for the faster version. If you do interiors or the like handheld, than the extra stop might be handy. I've been very happy with mine, and as Bill says, it's the default choice.

[i]Hey hey, I literally just came onto the forums to look for help on the same thing! Im going to cruise and hitting many brilliant locations for some wide angel shots but I also have no idea.
I have a Nikon D5100 and my budget is about £400, maybe swing a little more.
I struggle to understand all the mounting systems, I says that the vote winner "Sigma 10mm-20mm f4.5" is a vary of mounts, non being the F mount that mine states.
the shame :-(
Ben[/i]

Hey hey, I literally just came onto the forums to look for help on the same thing! Im going to cruise and hitting many brilliant locations for some wide angel shots but I also have no idea.

I have a Nikon D5100 and my budget is about £400, maybe swing a little more.

I struggle to understand all the mounting systems, I says that the vote winner "Sigma 10mm-20mm f4.5" is a vary of mounts, non being the F mount that mine states.

[quote]Nice, I think I may well invest in this then.
It states that on the Nikon version it doesn't come with the AF/MF focus switch[/quote]
That's true, Ben.
On my D300 there's a switch on the lens mount where one can select manual (M) focus mode from the three choices, the other two being AF modes. I imagine the D5100 will have a similar switch.

Quote:Nice, I think I may well invest in this then.

It states that on the Nikon version it doesn't come with the AF/MF focus switch

That's true, Ben.
On my D300 there's a switch on the lens mount where one can select manual (M) focus mode from the three choices, the other two being AF modes. I imagine the D5100 will have a similar switch.

Another vote for the Sigma 10-20 (f4.5). I bought mine about 18 months ago for my Nikon D90 and now use it on a D300S. Fantastic lens, I've it used all over the world with my day job. It is sharp across the range and has never let me down. You have to watch for vignetting on the 10mm end if using filters but it is a great investment. I'd love the Nikon 12-24 but I can't justify the price tag for a (very) slight increase in image quality. Buy the Sigma in either 3.5 or 4.5 guise and you wont be disappointed.

Another vote for the Sigma 10-20 (f4.5). I bought mine about 18 months ago for my Nikon D90 and now use it on a D300S. Fantastic lens, I've it used all over the world with my day job. It is sharp across the range and has never let me down. You have to watch for vignetting on the 10mm end if using filters but it is a great investment. I'd love the Nikon 12-24 but I can't justify the price tag for a (very) slight increase in image quality. Buy the Sigma in either 3.5 or 4.5 guise and you wont be disappointed.